Inspired by Mexico. Brewed for Chicago.

Cruz Blanca makes new world interpretations of classic German, Austrian, and French styles of beer, much like the beers that blossomed throughout Mexico City in the 1860s.

Look for German pilsners and Vienna lagers, German Berliner Weisse, wiessbier, lactic acidic beers and French style Bieres de Garde, as well as a few contemporary American styles utilizing traditional Mexican and locally sourced ingredients.

Cruz Blanca’s taquería takes its inspiration from the “smoke alley” at Oaxaca’s Mercado 20 de Noviembre, where thick plumes of smoke foretell the primal pleasures of wood-grilled meats.

Here, you’ll walk up and choose your main attraction —half-cured flank tasajo, red chile pork cecina, chorizo, chicken or portobello— and our taqueros will pile it all on a big beer tray with accompaniments of wood-grilled knob onions and peppers, smoky Oaxacan pasilla salsa, avocado salsa, crunchy pico de gallo, grilled nopal cactus and limey cucumbers. And, of course, a stack of fresh-made tortillas.

Not into tacos? We also offer Oaxcan-style tlayudas — giant, shareable tostadas with black bean spread, cheese, grilled knob onions, güero chile, green salsa and your choice of wood-grilled protein — and encamaronadas, a cheesy shrimp quesadilla with pico de gallo.

 Download menus in Acrobat PDF format:

• Taquería Menu

• Brunch Menu

FIESTA FRIENDLY FARE FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT
Plan the perfect fiesta with crowd-pleasing fare from award-winning chef Rick Bayless. Our catering and private events menus are filled with soul satisfying flavors from Mexico’s Smoke Alley.

Your guests can make their own tacos with our house-made corn tortillas and choose from an array of toppings. Include our freshly–made guacamole, amazing sides, and stellar house-beers for a fun fiesta spread at Cruz Blanca or packaged to go for your catered event.

Cruz Blanca Upstairs Taproom

JACOB SEMBRANO

HEAD BREWER

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Jacob is a former fast food cook, cheesemonger, line cook and sous chef in various snout-to-tail restaurants. After leaving The Bristol in Chicago, where he worked as a cook, Jacob began brewing beer at Goose Island Clybourn and became the head brewer. At Cruz Blanca, he says his responsibility is creating beer with a meaning and an inspiration behind it.

SARAH STAFFORD

GENERAL MANAGER

The diversity of Mexican cuisine and richness of the culture drew Sarah to Chicago from the east coast, where she worked at Oyamel and Cosme, two of the country’s best Mexican restaurants. Here at Cruz Blanca, she says, guests will be surprised and delighted by the smoke-tinged tacos and inventive craft beer.

LISA CARLSON

MANAGER & PRIVATE EVENTS

Lisa literally grew up in a bed & breakfast, so hospitality has always been part of her life. She’s a huge supporter of Chicago’s craft beer community — she spent years managing Goose Island’s Clybourn Brewpub — and it’s her mission to introduce the city to the magical pairing of Bieres de Garde and Oaxacan tacos.

MATT MORIN

BEER DIRECTOR

Pairing beer with food is literally Matt Morin’s favorite thing in the world. Nearing his certification as a cicerone, Matt is the mastermind behind Xoco Wicker Park’s craft beer program. Now he’ll help run the suds on Randolph Street, where his favorite beer (so far) is Emil, the special 750ML bottle available at Leña. Instagram eagleandpheasant

WINK STONE

ASSISTANT MANAGER & LEAD BARTENDER

Wink Stone is a lover of beer and a man of letters.  The renaissance man of Cruz Blanca, Wink not only manages the staff and is known to assist in the brewery, but his true office is behind the stick at one of Cruz Blanca’s bars.  One may even say beer has made Wink a mighty good fellow.

STEPHEN SANDOVAL

SOUS CHEF

ROBERTO CALDERON

SOUS CHEF

Roberto joins us after several years with the BOKA Restaurant Group, more specifically our delicious neighbor Little Goat. Prior to that, Roberto was at Frontera Grill and Topolobampo for more than a decade! We are super excited to welcome Chef Roberto back, and Cruz Blanca’s Oaxacan specialty dishes have never tasted better.

TODD WHITE

ASSISTANT BREWER & MANAGER

Todd met the love of his life, who currently works for Goose Island, over beers in his native Australia.  After getting married, they both spent time at a West Coast (of the USA) brewery.  Now in Chicago, Todd has become Cruz Blanca’s jack-of-all-trades.  Whether it’s crafting brews with Jacob, managing the floor or manning a bar, there’s guaranteed to be “warm smiles and cold beers.” Instagram: toddwhitecorn

Cruz Blanca Brewery & Taquería
904 West Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60607
312-733-1975
info@cruzblanca.com